The thing I at first connects with my prior meetings with Wuthering Heights, is some okay music, with the weight on technique. Though they must never have impressed me much, as I never have purchased an album with them.

That is why I got somewhat surprised, when I listened to this new album with Wuthering Heights. Because the Danes are delivering over the top, very professional, high octane symphonic power metal, with progressive elements, together with atmospheric folk music. Musically and compositional the album is about the most outstanding one can imagine. The flow between the straight forward power metal, the great technical elements and the folk music is perfect. All the elements melt together to a huge and bombastic wholesome.

The musical elements are superb, one are immediately caught by the marvellously atmosphere which surrounds the album. One gets caught in the net, and is getting impressed by the band’s efforts, one time after another. The henchman Nils Patrik Johansson is somewhat an active for the band. He delivers a grand, yet vulnerable, and really good vocal. It is always hitting the perfect note and helps the music to reach the skies.

The album is recorded at Tommy Hansen in Jailhouse. He really knows how to make this kind of music sound great. Both the music and the atmosphere are delivered in a perfect package, the sound couldn’t have been better.

If this isn’t the breakthrough of Wuthering Heights, yeah well, then there’s something wrong in this world. The album is powerful, surrounded by a huge atmospheric aura, the transitions between the metal and the folk music are perfect and the song writing is godly. If we talk about the composition of the album, the closest reference must be the 2 Avantasia albums, though “Far From The Madding Crowd” is just a bit better.

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]